


Summer Loving

by emit98



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, Summer Vacation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-28 17:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16728045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emit98/pseuds/emit98
Summary: The last thing Connor McKinley wants to do is spend his summer vacation in Utah with his grandmother, but he has no real say in the matter. When he meets a beautiful lifeguard at his grandma's rec center, it seems things may not be so bad.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU and it's going to be out of character as fuck because I'm basically just using the characters' names for the most part. Also they aren't Mormon in this unless specifically stated so uh deal with that I guess. If it makes you mad I don't care.

His grandmother’s house in Utah was exactly where Connor McKinley wanted to spend his summer vacation.  
Not.  
Yet, one airplane ride and Lyft ride later, there he was.  
His parents thought it would be a good bonding moment; his sleepy hometown in Ohio wasn’t exactly close enough to Utah to justify visiting Granny for every holiday. In fact, it had been about five years since Connor last saw his grandmother. She had bought him a G.I. Joe. Not a new G.I. Joe, but one she bought at a church rummage sale. It had a Sharpie-d on mustache. Connor had sat under the Christmas tree, staring at it in dismay as his older sister squealed in delight at the antique diamond necklace their grandmother had purchased for her.  
To add insult to injury, she didn’t seem to even know Connor’s name. She called him Charles more often than not.  
He went up to the door of her home, and knocked three times. A yappy dog barked from inside, and slow footsteps approached the door. Granny opened it, staring skeptically at Connor.  
“Grandma!” Connor said with a forced smile, hugging the old lady.  
“Charles, you were supposed to be here an hour and a half ago. I had dinner ready and everything,” Grandma McKinley said.  
“It’s Connor, Grandma,” Connor said. “And my flight got delayed. There was a thunderstorm.”  
“Well, come in. I’m not paying to air condition the whole neighborhood.” Grandma said, gesturing for Connor to come inside.  
Connor entered the house, and bit back the comment that she wasn’t paying to air condition anything. The house was about ten degrees warmer than the outside. The little dog kept yapping at Connor. He glared at it, and the dog scattered away.  
Grandma McKinley noticed this, and she smacked the back of his head. “Be nice to Gertrude!” She scolded.  
“Ow!” Connor rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry.”  
“Bring your bags to the guest room. It’s down the hallway, to the right. Then come out here, I have supper ready,” Grandma McKinley said.  
Connor did as he was told. Dinner was chicken breast with no seasoning, and boiled vegetables. Perfectly room temperature. Connor choked it all down, making light conversation with his grandma about his parents and his sister as he ate.  
This was going to be a long summer.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attempt at getting to know the sexy lifeguard leaves Connor feeling ashamed.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Connor! Wake up!”

Connor groaned, and he rolled over in the lumpy guest bed. The alarm clock told him in bright red digits that it was 8 in the morning. 

“Don’t make me come in there!”

“I’m awake, Grandma!” Connor called out. 

“Get dressed and come get some breakfast before it’s cold,” she said. 

“I will.”

Connor threw on a t-shirt and shorts and rushed out to the kitchen. Gertrude started yapping at him immediately. The mix of not getting enough sleep, rushing to get dressed, and the annoying yapping was already giving him a headache. 

Breakfast was freshly made oatmeal. It was surprisingly delicious, even if it was a little too hot for oatmeal. 

“You drive, right?” Grandma McKinley asked as Connor cleaned up their breakfast dishes.

“Yeah, I have my license,” Connor said. 

“Good, you can drive me to the rec center,” she said. “I gotta do my exercises, then it’s bridge time with the girls.” 

“Uh, okay. You’ll have to give me the address,” Connor replied.

“Why do you need the address? I can just tell you where to go,” Grandma said.

“Well, I can put it in my phone and it’ll tell me how to get there.”

“Phones. Gah. You don’t need that. I’ve driven to the rec center thousands of times. If they didn’t take away my license, I could drive there with my eyes closed.” Grandma walked out of the kitchen, grumbling to herself. She stopped, and turned around again. “Bring a bathing suit. You can go swim when I’m playing Bridge.”

“Thanks, Grandma,” Connor called back to her. 

Connor despised swimming. He hated the smell of chlorine. He didn’t tan, just got super freckly then sunburnt. Plus public pools were always full of kid pee and those weird horny parents who decide the side of a pool full of kids is the perfect place to make out. He doubted the situation in Utah would be any different. 

Once Grandma McKinley was ready to go, Connor helped her out to the car. He went to try and find the address on his phone, but she snatched it away from him.

“Grandma, I need that to know where I’m going!” Connor said.

“Do you know texting while driving leads to more accidents than anything else?” Grandma asked.

“I’m not even driving yet, Grandma,” Connor argued. “Please just let me put it in my GPS.”

“No. I don’t want to be in a car with someone who keeps looking at a phone,” Grandma said. “I know where we’re going. I’ll tell you where to go.”

And she did just that. Connor did exactly what she told him to do. He was not at all familiar with the area, but couldn’t shake the fear that he was going to get lost, and he was going to be lost in a small beige car with a feisty old lady who wouldn’t let him use his phone to find his way back home.

They got to the rec center, which Connor knew not only by the sign in front but by his grandma frantically smacking his arm and telling him to turn into the parking lot there. She insisted he park in the shade. He helped her out of the car, then tried to help her get inside.

“I can walk by myself,” she said, waving a hand dismissively. 

They checked in at the front desk. She introduced him to the desk clerk as Charles. Before Connor could correct her, he had a guest lanyard with “Charles” written on it. 

“Thanks,” he said with a grimace. 

“Meet me back in the lobby at two,” Grandma McKinley said to Connor. “Do you need money for snacks? They have a snack bar. Best hot dogs I’ve ever eaten.”

“No, I’m fine. Thanks, Grandma,” Connor said. 

“Have the front desk page me if you need anything,” Grandma McKinley said before going off to do her routine. 

Connor decided his best bet was to sit in the lobby. There were comfy chairs, outlets, and no one around because the only people who wanted to be at the rec center at nine in the morning were geriatrics who went off quickly to exercise and play card games. 

He had been sitting in the lobby for not even ten minutes when a man walked through. A very young man. Shirtless. Wearing red swim trunks and sunglasses nestled within his perfect hair. Connor’s face flushed as he watched him go by. The man exited through the doors labeled “OUTDOOR POOL”. When he did, Connor shot up and went up to the desk.

“Where’s the changing rooms?” 

Ten minutes later, Connor was outside, sitting by the pool. A group of elderly people were doing water aerobics in the shallow end. A couple of young kids were splashing around. Two lifeguards were on duty--the beautiful man that had lured Connor outside with his mere presence, and an equally beautiful woman wearing a red one-piece uniform and a headful of curls tied back in a poofy ponytail.

Choosing a spot to set himself up was difficult. He definitely wanted to be somewhere where the beautiful male lifeguard could see him. But sitting too close might seem desperate. He also did not want to sit in direct sunlight, because not only did he not tan, but he did not bring sunscreen, so sitting in the sun for more than twenty minutes would surely give him sunburn.

He decided on a spot across from the beautiful male lifeguard, but not directly across; more so across at a diagonal. He was still in his line of vision, but not overly so. Plus there was a tree right above the spot. 

Connor spent the afternoon scrolling through his phone, occasionally glancing up at the beautiful lifeguard. To his frustration, the lifeguard never looked back, his eyes instead focused on the pool. 

Boys in general frustrated Connor. So many were straight. So many were stupid. The very few who were neither of those things were in a committed relationship, or graduated and got the hell out of their hometown. Not only that, talking to hot boys terrified Connor. His mouth got dry and his throat closed up and he inevitably said something stupid, making them see him as a blubbering idiot instead of a potential love interest.

In times of trouble, there was always one person he could turn to: his best friend, Steve Blade. Connor had grown up with Steve; they were neighbors until Steve’s dad got a new job out-of-state. Steve was the source of Connor’s sexual awakening; night after night as a ten-year-old, he woke up with messy sheets after dreaming about Steve touching his bathing suit parts. The shame he felt subsided when he confessed his feelings to Steve, and Steve responded by planting a big kiss on Connor’s lips. Connor had loved it, but it was what confirmed for Steve that he didn’t like boys. 

Steve was, however, good at listening to Connor go on and on about how hard it was to talk to boys.

“Steve I need your help im at my grandmas rec center and theres a beautiful lifeguard is he gay??” Connor texted him.

“Idk. Ask him,” Steve replied almost immediately.

“Nooooo” Connor texted back. 

“What does he look like?” 

“An angel.” 

“Pretend to drown and find out”

“Good idea”

Before Connor could see the text from Steve reading “wait no”, Connor was already standing up and taking his t-shirt off. He wrapped his phone in it carefully before going over to the edge of the pool. The water was warm on top from the sun, but cold underneath. Connor braced himself as he slid in. He swore under his breath as he submerged his lower body in the cold water. He glanced up at the beautiful male lifeguard, then started pacing around the pool. 

Connor wanted to avoid the water aerobics class and the splashing kids (he wanted to avoid getting his hair wet if he could), so he headed to the deep end.

It was when his 5’6 ass was in the five-foot section that Connor remembered he technically did not know how to swim. Connor waded over to the edge of the pool. As he did, a small wave pushed him even further into the deep end. Connor went under briefly, then frantically paddled over to the edge, holding on for dear life.

A whistle came from across the pool. 

“Sir!” A masculine voice called out. “Please don’t stand on the edge of the pool like that.”

“I’m stuck,” Connor managed to get out. 

Connor heard flip-flopped feet approaching him. He looked up as the beautiful male lifeguard stood at the edge of the pool. The sunlight surrounding him made him look even more angelic. He knelt down. “Here, I’ll help you,” he said. He had such a kind voice… 

The beautiful male lifeguard offered a hand to Connor. Connor grabbed it, feeling the water suddenly get way warmer. Once safely out of the water, he couldn’t stop looking at the lifeguard in awe. The other man was at least half a foot taller than him, and even more gorgeous up close. 

“Don’t go into water you can’t handle, kid,” the lifeguard said in the same kind tone. 

But the word… 

Kid.

Connor felt like his heart was ripped in two. He just smiled and nodded. “Thanks,” he managed to force out before running back to his spot in the shade. 

He sent Steve a text: “Didn’t pretend to drown, just got my short ass stuck in the deep end. Sexy lifeguard helped me out, then called me ‘kid’. I hate my life”, followed by several crying emojis.

Summer in Utah was off to a great start.


	3. Enter Mormons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some missionaries-in-training come by to help Grandma McKinley with some yard work.

Connor and his grandmother were back at her house around 4. She announced that she was making dinner. 

“Do you need any help?” Connor asked.

“No,” she said. “I’ll let you know if I do.”

Connor sat on the couch and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels a bit, then put on some random reality show. He was still feeling down from being called “kid” by the beautiful lifeguard.

There was a knock on the door. Connor looked to the kitchen.

“Charles, can you get that?” His grandma called out. 

“Yes, Grandma,” Connor replied, getting up and going to answer it. Gertrude ran towards the door as well, yapping her head off.

Two boys stood on the other side, with gelled down hair, freshly ironed white shirts and black pants, and black ties. Connor noticed their name tags: “Elder Cunningham” and “Elder Thomas”. 

“Sorry, not interested,” Connor said, closing the door. 

“Wait!” Cunningham practically shouted. “Is Mrs. McKinley around?”

“She’s cooking dinner right now,” Connor said. “This really isn’t the best--”

“Boys, hello!” Grandma said in a voice that was kinder than Connor had ever heard from her before. 

“Hello, Mrs. McKinley!” Both of the missionaries said in unison.

“Do you need help with anything around the house today?” Elder Thomas asked. 

“Would you boys be willing to pull the weeds from my garden?” She asked. “Dinner’s almost ready, if you care to join my grandson and I.”

“He looks just like you, Mrs. McKinley,” Thomas said with a smile. “And we’d be happy to weed your garden.”

“And join you for dinner!” Cunningham added.

“Come inside, you boys can chit-chat and I’ll finish up cooking,” She said, gesturing for them to come in.

Connor spent the whole exchange staring skeptically at his grandma.

The three young men went to the living room. Connor reclaimed his spot on the couch.

“How are you this fine day?” Elder Thomas asked Connor.

“Good,” Connor replied with a tight-lipped smile. 

“And what did you say your name was?” Elder Thomas asked.

“Uh, Connor,” he said.

“Wonderful to meet you!” Elder thomas beamed with ridiculously white teeth. “Mrs. McKinley’s been talking about your visit for a while now! She was very excited for you to come visit.”

“Uh… Cool.” Connor suspected that was an exaggeration. 

“Have you heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints?” Elder Cunningham asked.

“I have,” Connor said. His hometown was chock full of Mormons, and he got missionaries trying to shove books in his face about once a week.

Elder Thomas put an arm on Elder Cunningham’s shoulder, giving him a look. He then turned to Connor. “Well, if you ever have any questions, we stop by here about once a week. Plus there are usually missionaries and missionaries-in-training around town.” 

“Thanks,” Connor said with a nod. “I’ll keep that in mind.” 

“Dinner, boys,” Grandma McKinley called from the kitchen. The three filed in there, Connor leading the way. 

The meal was… Uncomfortable, to say the least. Connor had no idea what his grandma’s deal with these Mormons was, but figured it had something to do with their willingness to help her do household chores. He spent the meal mainly watching the three converse. He didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying until…

“This weekend, we’re getting together with Kevin after he’s done lifeguarding to watch Star Wars!” Elder Cunningham said. “This time, we’re watching them newest to oldest.”

“That sounds fun!” Connor found himself saying. He didn’t think it through at all; what if Kevin was a different lifeguard than the beautiful one and he was stuck in some strange kid’s house watching freaking Star Wars?

“You should totally come!” Elder Thomas said. “If that’s okay with your grandmother, that is.”

“Of course,” Grandma McKinley said. “I’ll make some cookies for him to bring over.”

After dinner came dessert, then the two missionaries went outside to pull weeds out of Grandma McKinley’s garden. Connor watched for a bit, still dumbfounded that his grandmother was using these poor boys for their labor. He was also dumbfounded by the fact that he invited himself to a Star Wars marathon with weird Mormons he barely knew on the off-chance he could get some dick out of it. 

From someone who called him "kid"...


	4. PJ Pals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor goes to Arnold's house for a Star Wars marathon, and hopefully to see the hot lifeguard again.

The days leading up to the weekend were agonizingly slow. Connor had to take his grandmother shopping, to the rec center, and to play Bingo. Unfortunately for him, the beautiful lifeguard who may or may not be named Kevin was not on duty when he was at the rec center. 

Saturday night came. Armed with a tupperware container of homemade chocolate chip cookies, Connor went to Elder Cunningham’s house. He was sort of dreading the evening. What were the chances that Beautiful Lifeguard and Kevin Lifeguard were the same person? Would a guy like that really hang out with Mormon missionaries-in-training who marathoned Star Wars in different ways for the fun of it? He didn’t even know their first names and he was about to spend hours watching overrated sci-fi movies with them.

He approached the front door and knocked. It opened and there stood Elder Cunningham, his hair free of gel and sticking up in every angle in messy curls. He wore pajama pants covered in Yoda faces and light sabers, and a plain colored t-shirt. 

“Connor!” Elder Cunningham said. “Welcome! Come in!”

Connor entered the house, forcing a smile.

“Chris and I are in the basement. We’re waiting on Kevin. Come on!” He led him downstairs. 

The Cunningham’s basement was very well-furnished. It had carpeted floors, a nice leather sectional, a recliner, and a big TV with two DVD shelves on either side. Elder Thomas, or Chris, was sitting on the leather sectional wearing an outfit identical to Elder Cunningham’s. Connor thought for a second that it was almost cute. 

“Hi, Connor!” Chris said with a big smile. 

“Hi,” Connor said, setting the cookies down on the coffee table in front of the couch. 

“Sit next to me!” 

Connor did so, sitting in the middle part of the couch. In case Kevin the lifeguard was Beautiful Lifeguard. 

“We’ll get started as soon as Kevin gets here,” Elder Cunningham announced.

“Sounds good, Arnold,” Chris said. 

Arnold. The name was suiting, Connor thought.

Minutes later, there was another knock on the door. 

“I got it!” Arnold announced, practically leaping up the stairs. His loud voice traveled to the basement effortlessly. “Kevin! Hi! Mrs. McKinley’s grandson is already here so we can get started!” 

Footsteps came down the stairs, and both Connor and Chris turned their heads. 

Connor’s heart skipped a beat. There stood the beautiful lifeguard… Dressed in the same exact outfit as Chris and Arnold. His hair was wet, probably from lifeguarding. 

Kevin gave a small wave. “Hi,” he said. 

“Hey, Kevin!” Chris said eagerly. “This is Connor McKinley! He’s staying with his grandma for the summer.”

Kevin looked at Connor, narrowing his eyes the way one does when they’re trying to figure out how they recognize someone.

“Aren’t you the kid who got stuck in the deep end at the pool?” He asked.

Connor’s heart sank and he nodded. “Y-yeah… And I’m not a kid, I turn 18 in two weeks.” 

Arnold gasped. “We should have a birthday party for you!”

“Pardon me, most people who get stuck like that are twelve,” Kevin said. 

Great. So he was sort of a douche. 

Kevin sat down next to Connor. Connor glanced between the matching pajama pants of his three new “friends”.

“I feel out of place,” he joked. He had chosen a pair of shorts that he knew made his butt look good for the evening’s attire.

“We’ll get you a pair of these soon,” Arnold said. “For your birthday!” 

“Great!” Connor flashed a charming smile. 

After making sure they were well-stocked on snacks, Arnold put in the first movie. Or the last. Or whatever one would be first in their weird order. 

Connor tried to pay attention. He really did. But his eyelids were getting heavy… 

He shot awake when he felt something poke him in the ribs. 

“Wha--” Connor blinked.

“Pizza’s here!” Chris said. 

“Oh. Cool.” Connor blinked a few times. “Sorry… Grandma has me up at, like, six every morning. I’m too gay for that sort of sleep schedule.”

Then, a tense silence. 

Fuck, Connor thought to himself. Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“Gay as in happy,” Connor said to break the silence.

“It’s fine if you’re gay!” Chris said way too quickly. “Heavenly Father loves all his children!”

“And you still have time to repent,” Arnold added.

“Exactly!” Chris said.

Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes. This made Connor’s heart flutter.

“Guys, come on,” Kevin said.

Connor wanted to sink into the sofa. He wondered if pretending there was a sudden family emergency would work… 

Then, Kevin put a hand on his shoulder. His hand was big and warm and made Connor feel warm inside. Connor looked over at him, and Kevin smiled and Connor felt like a firework exploding through the sky.

The whole thing lasted maybe five seconds. It felt like forever in the best possible way. Kevin then got up to help himself to some pizza. Connor stayed seated, wanting to bask in the moment as long as the good feeling lasted. 

“Connor, you want a piece?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Connor said with a nod.

They resumed the movie. Pizza was eaten, and more Star Wars things happened onscreen. Connor suddenly felt wide awake and super aware. 

What if Kevin put an arm around him?

What if he leaned against Kevin? 

Connor stared at the screen, not absorbing anything. He then inched over slightly.

“You got enough room?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah,” Connor said. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Kevin replied.

Arnold shushed them, and the two went quiet. 

Halfway through the next movie, Chris fell asleep. Then Arnold. Then the credits were rolling. Connor glanced over at Kevin, still feeling wide awake from the adrenaline. Kevin looked at him, then stood up.

“I need some fresh air,” he said. “Do you?”

Connor nodded, and he got up. 

The night air was cold, and the grass was dewey from an earlier rain. Kevin sat on the front steps, and Connor sat next to him. The outside light shined on Kevin and Connor. It felt like time was still. 

“So,” Kevin said quietly. “Gay?”

Connor nodded, bringing his knees to his chest. “Yeah. Gay.”

“And you thought that would be a good thing to tell two Mormon boys?” Kevin asked.

Connor didn’t say anything in response.

“Just be careful if their parents are ever around,” Kevin said in a soft voice. 

“I usually am!” Connor blurted out. “I-I just… Tend to joke like that… Around my friends… I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Kevin said. “But be careful.” 

Connor couldn’t let himself look up. “I should go home,” he said quietly.

“No, let’s go back in and try to get some sleep,” Kevin said, standing up. “Arnold’s mom makes the best waffles. Plus Arnold and Chris adore you. They’d be disappointed if you left.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Connor said with a small laugh. He followed Kevin back inside. He watched Kevin pull a pile of blankets out of the closet before going downstairs. Kevin draped one over Arnold, then one over Chris, both of whom were draped haphazardly on the furniture and completely asleep. 

“I’m always the last one awake,” Kevin explained, keeping his voice quiet. He handed Connor one of the remaining blankets. “You can have the couch.” 

“Thanks,” Connor said. He sat on the edge of the couch opposite Chris, wrapping himself in the blanket. The shorts may make his ass look cute, but he was freezing. Kevin set himself up on the floor, curling up next to the coffee table. 

Connor fell asleep quickly, to the sounds of silent breathing. For having accidentally outing himself the way he had, he felt pretty good.


End file.
